Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options

It might be the last thing on your morning to-do list, or worse, it might not be on your list at all. But a healthy breakfast refuels your body, jump-starts your day and may even benefit your overall health. So don't skip this meal — it may be more important than you think.

These quick and flexible options give you plenty of ways to put breakfast back on your daily menu.

The benefits of a healthy breakfast

Breakfast gives you a chance to start each day with a healthy and nutritious meal.

Adults who report regularly eating a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

Eat more vitamins and minerals

Control their weight

Eat less fat and cholesterol

Children who regularly eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

Meet daily nutrient requirements

Be at a healthy body weight

Have better concentration and be more alert

Miss fewer days of school

The basics of a healthy breakfast

What exactly counts as a healthy breakfast? Here's what forms the core of a healthy breakfast:

Deshmukh-Taskar P, et al. The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumption with nutrient intake and weight status in children and adolescents: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2010;110:869.

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